FRUIT EXPORTS

Evening Star, Issue 22632, 26 April 1937, Page 8

FRUIT EXPORTS

120,000 CASES TO DATE SHIPS' STORAGE LIMITED The export of fruit from the port of Otago to Great Britain and the Continent is steadily progressing, a further shipment being loaded at Port Chalmers this week When this, consignment has been placed on board the Hororata, which leaves on Thursday night for London, the total export figure for the season will be increased to 120,000 cases. From the Roxburgh to Beaumont area has come the bulk of the fruit—mostly apples—so far sent overseas, the Alexandra end having yielded only a negligible quantity of- the whole. The cases now being loaded here will bring the complete shipment for the present month to 84.000 cases, and more would have been taken away had the necessary ships’ storage beemayailable. One important factor limiting the total exported in the absence of cool storage on the vessels _ _ Under existing conditions the quantities for each vessel are dependent on growers’ estimates, which are liable to vary, so that the 1 position sometimes arises where a crop packs out bigger than anticipated, leaymg growers with some of the fruit in hand. This is then placed on the local market. . . Weather conditions m Central Otago have improved considerably in the last month, and picking and packing operations have not been retarded to any appreciable extent by rain. From now on apple varieties going forward will be mainly Sturmers, Rome Beauties, Statesmen, and other hard late-keeping sorts.